so it wasn’t the end of the world as new orleans knows it. folks who had to suffer through my worrisome talk on the road yesterday…repeating all the horrible details of an apocolyptic event that sits in the backs of disaster managment teams assigned to a place that is flanked by water on three sides and is 11 feet below sealevel.

as it turns out there is damage – but the city still stands.

for now things are still up in the air. school is closed AT LEAST until september 7th. i’ll keep checking our website for details of when to expect going back. if it holds i think i’ll go back sunday or monday so that i can assess the damage done. i’ll post any photos of damage that is lingering after i get home.

in the meantime, thanks for all the well wishing, prayers and thoughts…you all rock.

on a related note this excerpt from cnn caught my attention as painfully funny – i stress painfully

Van Heerden ticked off the problems anyone returning to the city would find: “no sewage, no drinking water, contamination, threat of rapid increase in mosquitoes, roads are impassible, downed power lines everywhere, trees, debris from houses in the roads, no way to go shopping, no gas.”

The water also has dislodged fire ants and thousands of snakes — including poisonous water moccasins — from their homes.

“If you came back, you would be coming literally to a wilderness,” he said. “Stay where you are, be comfortable; nothing’s going to change. If your house is gone, it’s gone. If you come back in a day or a week, it’s not going to make any difference.” http://www.cnn.com/2005/WEATHER/08/29/new.orleans/index.html